The overall lack of a prologue in the story can indicate several details about Chrétien and Yvain. The story seems to develop around the perspective and emotional state of Yvain. Chretien seems to no longer be narrating necessarily in his own voice but rather from the mind of a character, whether in the background or Yvain himself. Beyond his grasp on the narration, his prologue instead of jesting or introducing the characters and their epic tragedy, he rather discusses love as a character itself. He even goes so far as referring to it as a proper noun, Love, later in the text.
He personifies love as a woman scorned and abused, separated from the chivalry and honor she once held. It could foreshadow the mistreatment of love in the text or the unorthodox and violent manner Yvain claims his love for the woman. One can even go so far as to say it represents the personal feelings Chretien hold tightly to his own heart on the subject of romance. I find it interesting the entire manner he characterizes and crafts the persona of Love. The rattled and disrespected woman reduced vastly to an everyday happening, deserving no honor or praise beyond simple pleasantries and false owners. The endlessly beautiful and intrinsic emotion of Love in all her glory is diminished to cunning farce accepted and abused by every good and malicious soul around her.
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